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KAULANA APELU DIDN’T GIVE UP ON DIVISION I FOOTBALL WHILE HE WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL, even when injuries sidelined him. Oregon saw the potential in the Hawaiian native, letting him walk onto the team in what Apelu calls ‘a blessing in disguise.’

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Kaulana Apelu plays on Nov. 12 against Standford.

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WEEKLY STACK-UP

BY: HANNAH BONNIE @HBONNIE03 PHOTOS : EMERALD ARCHIVES

OREGON VS. UTAH

The Oregon Ducks and the Utah Utes on September 26, 2015.

It goes without saying that No. 15-ranked Utah is motivated to beat Oregon.

A win against the Ducks is vital for the Utes’ Pac-12 South title hopes. If Utah wins, and Colorado beats No. 23-ranked Washington State, the two will face off in the final week to decide who will represent the South in the Pac-12 Championship.

Following a 52-27 loss against Stanford, the Ducks are limping to the finish of their disappointing season. Oregon has only two games left, both of which are on the road, where the Ducks have failed to win a single game.

Here’s how the teams stack up.

OREGON OFFENSE VS UTAH DEFENSE The most interesting aspect of this matchup is between Oregon’s running backs and Utah’s defensive line. While Oregon is ranked second in the Pac-12 in rushing offense, Utah is ranked second in rushing defense. The Utes’ pass rush is particularly adept, and the Utes rank first in the Pac12 in sacks. While only two of Oregon’s players, linebacker Troy Dye and defensive lineman Justin Hollins, have two or more sacks, four of Utah’s defensive linemen have two or more, led by Hunter Dimick with 12 for 64 yards.

Royce Freeman is Oregon’s top running back, racking up 765 yards for nine touchdowns. Of late, Freeman hasn’t been as productive as he was in past years, battlling a leg injury early in the season. When he returned for the Washington State game, he racked up three touchdowns and then he delivered one of his best performances of the year last Saturday when he ran for 111 yards on 20 carries against Stanford.

While Utah’s rushing defense is strong, its No. 6-ranked passing defense is a weak point that Oregon should exploit using wide receivers Darren Carrington and Charles Nelson and tight ends Pharaoh Brown and Johnny Mundt. Carrington and Nelson lead the team in receiving yards with 501 and 493 yards, respectively, and Brown leads the team in receiving touchdowns with five.

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UTAH OFFENSE VS OREGON DEFENSE Similar to Oregon, Utah’s offense relies more on its ability to run the ball rather than pass it. Ranked third in rushing offense, Utah’s stable of running backs have tallied 2,129 yards for 22 touchdowns. However, the Utes have also been plagued by injuries: Four Utah running backs have missed time with injuries this year, and Joe Williams came out of mid-season retirement and now leads the team with 939 yards and eight touchdowns. The 23-year-old had decided to briefly retire earlier this season when he thought his body couldn’t handle another year of football but was asked back to the team later in the year and has thrived since returning.

Oregon most likely won’t be able to shut down Utah’s running game, but the secondary might be able to stop the pass. Though Oregon ranks second to last in the Pac-12 in both aspects of defensive play, Utah is only ranked 7th in passing offense and pass efficiency. Quarterback Troy Williams has thrown for 2,184 yards and 13 touchdowns with five interceptions.

Brenden Schooler leads Oregon’s defense with four interceptions, though only five other members of the Ducks’ defense have tallied even one, including Tyree Robinson. Robinson also has the second-most pass breakups on the team with six, following Arrion Springs with 10.

GAMEDAY

Oregon defensive line tries to adapt after injuries

BY: JARRID DENNEY @JARRID_DENNEY | PHOTOS : ADAM EBERHARDT, KAYLEE DOMZALSKI Early in the season, there was plenty of concern that Oregon’s defensive line didn’t have the experience or skill to quickly adapt to Brady Hoke’s 4-3 defensive scheme.

The Ducks were young to begin with, and senior defensive end Henry Mondeaux represented the Ducks’ only returning starter along the front seven.

Things have gone from bad to worse in the trenches for Oregon since the start of the year, and with two games left in a disappointing season, the Ducks are stringing together a patchwork defensive line after six of their linemen have been ruled out for the season for various reasons.

“Nothing is going as planned since the start of the season,” Oregon defensive end T.J. Daniel said. “It’s really just next man up. What’s done is done; we can’t look in the past, we can’t dwell on it. So we’re looking onto Utah.”

Austin Maloata, one of the Ducks’ top runstoppers this season, became the most recent casualty along the defensive front when he was arrested for a litany of charges last Sunday morning and subsequently dismissed from the team later that day. The dismissal of Maloata came less than a week after Oregon sophomore Canton Kaumatule, one of the top recruits in Oregon history, accepted a medical hardship and saw his career at Oregon come to an end.

Junior College transfer Ratu Mafileo also took a medical retirement in early October following various injuries.

The departures of those three players, as various injuries to freshman defensive tackle Drayton Carlberg, who hasn’t played since Oregon faced Cal on Oct. 21, have left the middle of Oregon’s defensive line depleted. But the edge positions have fallen victim to the same amount of attrition, as two of Oregon’s top edge rushers have missed time as well.

Junior Eddie Heard was suspended indefinitely on Nov. 3 after being arrested one day earlier on assault charges.

Senior defensive end Torrodney Prevot was suspended indefinitely on Aug, 26 after it was revealed that Prevot was under investigation for a criminal offense.

The loss of six players who all figured to contribute in some capacity has forced Oregon to get creative in the way it configures it’s front seven, which after the switch to a 4-3, is sending a four-man rush much more frequently than last season.

“Part of that is who’s available and that’s a reality-slash-excuse,” Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich told reporters last Sunday. “So you’re doing a few things differently from a front standpoint and moving guys around a little bit more. You’re blitzing a little bit more

rather than playing base. But trying to change it up. ... We can’t just put in eight D-lineman that we don’t have. So that creates a challenge but challenges are opportunity as well.”

To make up for the lack of depth at interior linemen, Oregon has experimented with moving Henry Mondeaux, its top pass rusher, from defensive end to defensive tackle this week. At 6-foot-5, 280 pounds, Mondeaux has recorded 32 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss and could plug up the middle as Oregon prepares to face a Utah rushing attack that has found plenty of success lately.

“He’s moving down to the [three-technique position] inside, where we’re low on men,” Daniel said. “We’re just rotating — everybody knows each position. ... He brings speed, quickness and the ability to get up field and get after the quarterback.”

Oregon is slated to start freshman Gary Baker and sophomore Rex Manu at the interior linemen spots this week, with freshman Wayne Tei-Kirby listed on the two-deep as well. With so many contributing players lost for the year, Oregon’s success over it’s remaining two games will hinge on the ability of Oregon’s group of young defensive tackles to adapt quickly.

“We’ll move some guys around,” Oregon defensive line coach Ron Aiken said. “We’ll rally together and we’ll keep marching forward.”

Oregon Ducks defensive lineman Henry Mondeaux (92) warms up prior to kickoff.

Oregon Ducks defensive back Reggie Daniels (8) dives to tackle UC Davis Aggies wide receiver Jared Harrell (11).

Oregon Ducks defensive lineman Austin Maloata (50) celebrates after a quarterback sack.

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KAULANA APELU: working for his dreams BY: JACK BUTLER, @BUTLER917 | PHOTOS : ADAM EBERHARDT, AMANDA SHIGEOKA

FEATURE

Oregon linebacker Kaulana Apelu talks to teammate Brenden Schooler after a play at California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif. on Oct. 21, 2016..

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Kaulana Apelu never dreamed of playing football at Oregon. The sophomore from Aiea, Hawaii, always thought the program was too big for him.

Oregon’s flashy uniforms and team speed intimidated Apelu and he didn’t believe he was good enough.

“Oregon was never on my radar. It was too big of a stage for me,” Apelu said.

Now, he is a starting linebacker for Oregon, and his role on the defense will grow due to injuries of other linebackers.

After his sophomore year of high school, Apelu had Division I scholarship ambitions as a running back. But in the first game of his junior season, he tore his right ACL and meniscus. One year later, he tore his left ACL and meniscus, and his high school football career came to an end.

“I felt it snap, and I was like, ‘Something is definitely wrong,’ ” Apelu said.

Oregon football coaches, however, were still intrigued by his talent.

Little game tape of Apelu playing in high school was available to Oregon coaches because he didn’t play very much due to injury. They noticed him while scouting other players on Apelu’s team, and he was always healthy come spring practice, so when Oregon coaches came to watch, he stood out.

Erik Chinander, former Oregon outside linebacker coach and current University of Central Florida defensive coordinator, saw the potential in Apelu.

“I only saw him practice in spring football, and every spring I was like, ‘Who the hell is that guy?’ “ Chinander told 247Sports. com in 2015. “He kept making plays and standing out.”

Chinander called Apelu to tell him he wanted him on the Oregon team, but not on scholarship. The coaches did not forecast a position for Apelu, but they trusted his work ethic.

“I mean, how cool would it be to come to Oregon,” Apelu recalled. “[Marcus Mariota] just won the Heisman. I thought, ‘This is sick — maybe I’ll give it a shot.’ ” Apelu did not receive offers from other

Oregon linebacker Kaulana Apelu (39) drops what would have been an interception against Cal.

programs. His dream of a scholarship offer did not materialize, but he had an opportunity to play at a major program. He was not going to let it go to waste.

Apelu joined the team as a preferred walkon in fall 2015.

“Looking at it now, maybe it was a blessing in disguise,” he said.

Upon arriving at Oregon last season, Apelu learned he would convert from running back to linebacker when fall camp began.

He hadn’t played linebacker since youth football league.

“The learning curve for [Apelu] was learning the defense. He had been a tremendous running back,” Oregon linebackers coach Don Pellum said. “He was a great player and he just needed an opportunity. We had an opportunity.”

Apelu expected to redshirt during his freshman season, but he worked hard on special teams and earned some playing time.

He appeared in all 13 games last season and made three unassisted stops.

Head coach Mark Helfrich said, “He’s a relentless kid to get the ball,” and that his heart and hustle is what gets him

playing time.

“He fights his ass off,” fellow linebacker Troy Dye said. “As a walk-on, you’ve got to fight and that is what he does. … I trust the guy because I know he is going to put in on the line.”

Apelu has appeared in seven games this season. He had his best game in a close loss to Cal on Oct. 21, when he made a careerhigh nine tackles. He made his first start the following week against Arizona State.

At 5-foot-11, 200 pounds, Apelu is smaller than the average linebacker. He makes up for his size by spending time in the film room learning the upcoming opponent’s strengths, weaknesses and tendencies, so come Saturdays, he will position himself in the right spots.

His time studying paid off when he recorded his first career interception against Arizona State.

The play looked like it was going to be a screen to the running back, so Apelu stepped in that direction. The defensive ends put pressure on the quarterback and he released it early. Apelu was in the right spot and snagged it.

Apelu’s strength is his quickness. He has a quick first step, so he often beats opposing players to the spot where he needs to be. But sometimes he gets ahead of himself. Apelu loves to run and hit opposing players, but has struggled at times to wrap them up and bring them to the ground.

“His biggest strength can be his biggest weakness in terms of trying to do too much,” Helfrich said. “He’ll overshoot things.”

If bringing too much energy to a game is a problem, it is one coaches will live with.

“If a guy loves football, it’s him. He brings a lot of juice in everything that we are doing,” defensive coordinator Brady Hoke said.

After two surgeries humbled him, Apelu learned to make the most of every opportunity. He learned to value the little things like walking to the kitchen and the shower.

“Just appreciate walking, having a leg. ... I could say how bad it was, but all in all I feel like those things happen for a reason,” Apelu said.

It turns out that Oregon isn’t too fast for him. He’s brought exactly what the Ducks expected.

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GAMEDAY

Oregon recruiting lacks star power but makes up for it in player development BY: RYAN KOSTECKA, @RYAN_KOSTECKA | PHOTOS : ADAM EBERHARDT The future of Oregon football doesn’t appear to be bright on paper. The Ducks’ 2017 recruiting class ranks 32nd in the nation — the same ranking it finished in last year. Oregon has zero five-star commitments and just lost in-state recruit Elijah Molden to Washington this past week.

It may be time for the Ducks to panic with no five-star recruit or big-time recruiting class on the way.

But at Oregon, class rankings have not always dictated the success of the program. It’s about growing those two, three and four-star players into bona fide contributors for the program.

“One of the best things about Oregon is the way they’ve developed players over the years,” freshman safety Brenden Schooler said. “Oregon doesn’t get a ton of high-profile recruits, but each year they have a handful of threestar guys who make a huge impact — that’s what I want to be a part of.”

This year, Oregon is being led by three true freshmen: Justin Herbert, Troy Dye and Schooler.

Herbert is a former three-star recruit who almost committed to Washington before staying home to play for the Ducks. He took over as starter halfway through this season and hasn’t turned back.

Dye, a former three-star recruit, leads the Ducks with 74 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks — his tackles for loss and sacks both rank second in the nation by a freshman.

Meanwhile, Schooler was so undervalued that he wasn’t given a ranking. He now leads Oregon with four interceptions — third in the nation among freshmen — and is third on the team with 57 tackles.

“To me, the recruiting rankings really don’t mean a lot because it doesn’t guarantee how good you are going to be at the next level,” Schooler said.

“It’s all about who’s going to come in, regardless of rankings, and work their butt off to see the field and help the team.”

The offensive line, which is leading

Oregon to a top-25 rushing offense in the nation, has four redshirt freshmen on the unit. Of those four players, two were four-star prospects and two were three-star prospects.

“We pride ourselves in getting the right guys for our program — not necessarily the best guys,” offensive line coach Steve Greatwood said. “This offensive line group may not look like anything special on paper, but we knew we had something special when they all came here.”

This trend of developing players into big-time contributors isn’t something new to the program.

Former five-star prospects De’Anthony Thomas and Arik Armstead grabbed the headlines when they committed to the Ducks, but neither of those players ended up being the best in their classes.

In 2011, Oregon signed two-star quarterback Marcus Mariota.

Eventually, Mariota would break multiple school records, lead his team to the national championship, win Oregon’s first Heisman Trophy and be selected No. 2 in the 2015 NFL Draft.

Likewise, 2012 three-star defensive end DeForest Buckner ended up being named Pac-12 defensive player of the year and an All-American. Buckner was drafted No. 7 in the 2016 draft — up 10 spots from where Armstead was drafted the year before.

When Oregon made its runs to the national championship games in 2011 and 2015, both teams were led by low-star recruits who transformed into star players.

The 2011 team was anchored by three-star players LaMichael James, Jeff Maehl, Casey Matthews and John Boyett. The 2015 team was led by Mariota, Buckner and other three-star players Tyler Johnstone, Hroniss Grasu and Derrick Malone Jr. Greatwood and the Ducks know they won’t always impress national analysts with five-star recruits — but they may just develop those low-star prospects who eventually lead the team.

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Oregon Ducks linebacker Troy Dye (35) reaches to tackle a USC Trojans wide receiver.

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Oregon Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert (10) throws a pass to a teammate while warming up.

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GAMEDAY

Playing for

Pride’

Oregon Ducks head coach Mark Helfrich greets fans during the team’s pre-game March to Victory.

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Without bowl game eligibility as a possibility for Oregon after its 52-27 loss to the Stanford Cardinal on Saturday, the Ducks are forced to find a new form of motivation going forward.

Offensive linemen Cameron Hunt says, now that there is no potential bowl game to look forward to, the team is “playing for pride.”

“I think guys are really motivated today,” Hunt said. “They’re flying around still. It’s just playing for pride and trying to go out there and perform to the best of your ability.

“We’ve talked about [playing for pride]; we’ve talked about setting this up for this offseason coming up and really using that as a motivation factor to push through certain things.”

The team had a “mental” day of practice on Nov. 15 that involved “more walk-through stuff, less hitting, less running” and more of “a walk and talk type of thing.” The 16th, however, was a “very intense” day of practice, according to head coach Mark Helfrich.

“Today was very physical,” Helfrich said. “We’ve challenged everybody in a few different ways. Yesterday was a little bit more of a mental day.

We obviously had a couple of things

to clean up from the game over the weekend.”

The Ducks got off to a poor start against the Cardinal this past weekend, something the team hopes to improve on against Utah this Saturday. To best prepare for Utah and come out and get points on the board quickly, Helfrich says the team has “changed it up” in practice.

“Today, we did basically 40 seconds in the game, urgent type of scenario right off the bat. … Just trying to change it up and find that button to create that urgency,” Helfrich said.

It is going to be a difficult feat for the Ducks to defeat the 8-2 Utah Utes this Saturday, but Helfrich says that confidence is the biggest factor for the Ducks on its trip to Salt Lake City.

“I think the biggest thing is just the confidence and going out and absolutely cutting it loose and not worrying about any sort of negative outcome,” Helfrich said. “There are so many guys that are just hesitant.

Talking about going into last week, if you’re hesitant on a power play, McCaffrey is going to go 50 and it happened. … It’s the offensive guys just playing together with urgency and not hoping that something happens, or hoping that somebody else will make a play.”

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